Not the fresh start I was looking for

by Christopher Brian Dudek on August 9, 2013

in Hockey and Life

I really was looking forward to kicking back into gear this week with playing more hockey.  The thought was that with me playing more, I would start playing better than I was over the summer and only playing once a week.  I had gotten complacent, and when I have gotten comfortable and complacent, my performance suffers.  This week I thought I had more of a focus coming into both my games.  I played decent, but still lost both games.  I say decent because it really was a C or B- effort at the best.  I just did not play the way I should have.  I allowed a couple really crappy goals in both games, even though I made some very solid saves on breakaways and other prime scoring chances.  Still, those crappy goals are back breakers that I should have never allowed.

I was fuming last night after our loss, and that carried over in the locker room.  I had a pretty piss poor attitude about things, and really had no reason to go down that road.  Its just a game, and a rec hockey league game at that.  After you put things in perspective like that, it gets a lot easier to digest and move on from.

Still, this really wasn’t the way I wanted to start.  I feel like I haven’t played well in the last few months, and I think one of my teams is very frustrated with me.  Sure, they like me, but there is a big difference between a goalie that you just like and one you want to win with.  I hate losing more than I like winning, and I have tried to build my teams with that kind of mentality.  Well, if someone on the team is well liked but not performing, how long will it be before that person is kicked to the curb?  Especially when that someone is me.

I am expecting a much better performance in net in all 3 games I play next week.

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Why I push myself

by Christopher Brian Dudek on August 5, 2013

in Hockey and Life

Starting next week, I will be playing hockey 2-3 times per week.  Then, a month later, I will be teaching a class or two (don’t know how many yet) in the evenings.  Shortly after that, I will be resuming refereeing adult and youth ice hockey.  All this while carrying a full time job, wife, continuous learning, working out, and other responsibilities.  I have been asked by many people how or why I continue to push myself that hard, and all I can say is that I enjoy it.

Sitting idle really is the most boring thing to me.  Since I was young, I have always tried to better myself.  To build upon a good year by surpassing it with a better next year really is something I have grown to embrace.  This goes for everything from work to play.  As I have gotten older though, I have found that physically, trying to do things better every year may not be the most achievable.  I am not as quick as I once was.  Part of bettering yourself is getting out there and honing your skills.  Playing hockey once a week has not made me a better player.  I was playing better when I was playing 2-3 times a week on a regular basis.  Just like I will be a better college instructor when I am teaching more than once a week.  Just like I will be a better referee when I ref more than once a week in the fall/winter/spring.

I realize that as I get older, my skills in net are going to diminish.  I am concentrating on bettering myself right now and for the immediate future.  We all should be looking to make ourselves a little bit better every day.  It could be anything from physical to mental.  It could be a skill-set or a way of acting.  This is why I push myself and why I am going to be pushing myself hard starting this month.  No more sitting idle.

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Coming back is the hardest part

by Christopher Brian Dudek on August 1, 2013

in Hockey and Life

That ankle sprain took me out of the working out and hockey game for a couple weeks.  Since I came back, my game has been up and down.  When I have played well, I have been solid.  When I have sucked, it has been pretty bad.  I think the biggest challenge has been to keep my confidence up.  When your team is the big fish in the pond and better than the competition, then you are going to have more confidence.  I cannot rely on the talent of my team alone to win games.  I have to be better and get better every game.

So far, that hasn’t happened.

Two weeks ago, I had a very solid game.  Tonight, I stunk up the place.  That really isn’t good for the confidence of my team thats for sure.  They won’t say it, but I know where the blame lies and it starts in net.

Going to start playing rollerhockey next week, and with the additional workload, I am hopeful that my game will get better.  I really was playing well when I was going 2-3 times per week instead of just 1 time a week or less.

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Grade 2 Ankle Sprain

by Christopher Brian Dudek on July 3, 2013

in Hockey and Life, Tough Mudder

I visited the doctor today and found out I have a grade 2 ankle sprain from the Tough Mudder on Saturday.  While I am not totally surprised, the doctor was surprised that I didn’t break or make it even worse on Saturday.  After a good scolding from my doctor I was told to halt all lower body workouts and skating for the next 2 weeks.  That would put me back on the ice, hopefully on the 17th (which should make my hockey team very happy to have a super goalie in net next week).  I am just glad that it isn’t broken at this stage.

I am trying to keep in mind that the last time I hurt this ankle was in early June when I had someone fall into me while reffing.  I sat out for 2 weeks and then skated on it, but it was too soon.  I am hoping I can start working out again in a couple weeks right now, but I don’t have high hopes that for sure.  In the end, when I look at the orange headband I earned at the Tough Mudder, I feel accomplished.  What a great event.  Can’t wait to do another one next year.

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My brother and I are famous!

by Christopher Brian Dudek on July 3, 2013

in Hockey and Life, Tough Mudder, Videos

At the 2:30 mark, my brother and I are hugging it out.  Great memories!

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Tough Mudder Michigan 2013 Completed!

by Christopher Brian Dudek on July 2, 2013

in Hockey and Life, Tough Mudder

On Saturday, I set out to complete my second Tough Mudder challenge.  The first was in Amherst Ohio last year in April.  This year, it was at Michigan International Speedway which is just east of Jackson, MI.  A shorter drive and we didn’t have to spend the night in Amherst, but it was still going to be a challenge.

For those who don’t know, the Tough Mudder is a 10+ mile course with obstacles that tests your overall fitness, stamina, strength, and mental toughness.  It isn’t a race so to speak as it is a challenge.  Everyone is helping each other through the obstacles throughout the event.

Our official start time was at 11:40 but we got to the event a full hour and a half ahead of schedule.  By the time we made it to the starting line, it was our time for our heat to start.  My brother and I got over the wall to get into the starting area and the event was on shortly after that.  The GoPro that my brother bought wasn’t working, so that was a bummer, but I quickly forgot about that and concentrated on the course.

Tough-Mudder-Michigan-2013-Official-Course-Map

There were 20 obstacles on our 12 mile course.  Here is a breakdown with a toughness rating for each one of 1-5.  A 1 is easy while a 5 is incredibly hard.

  1. Glory Blades – This is where you climb over a wall at an angle.  This was easy with others helping you out but still requires a little upper body strength to complete.  Toughness = 2
  2. Kiss of Mud #1 – This is where you crawl under barbed wire in the mud and over rocks.  Not very difficult if you have good upper and lower body strength, but crawling over the rocks isn’t that comfortable.  Toughness = 2
  3. Firewalker – Easy and fun obstacle!  You run, jump over fire and into a pool of water.  Toughness = 1
  4. Arctic Enema – Jump into a dumpster full of ice and water.  You then have a small plywood wall you have to go under which freezes you even more before you can climb out.  This isn’t as tough as it is physically and mentally draining.  I didn’t have much of a problem with it thanks to my attire.  Toughness = 2
  5. Underwater Tunnels – You have to be able to swim to do this.  You pretty much swim out, go under big blue barrels that are tied to platforms (there are four of them) and then climb out.  Easy, if you can swim and it was rather pleasant to just relax a bit.  Toughness = 1
  6. Mud Mile – Not tough as much as it is draining.  You have to watch your footing and make sure you don’t slip and fall like many people did.  Its a pretty long path of mud and muck to run through, but there is a lot of this over the entire course.  Toughness = 2
  7. Logjammin – This is a log obstacle where you have to climb over and go under logs.  Not very difficult but it does require a little upper body and lower body strength.  Toughness = 2
  8. Hold your Wood – Requires some good upper body strength to complete.  You have to hold a large log of wood and carry it around.  I can’t remember how long you have to carry it, but it wasn’t totally easy.  Especially in a downpour.  Toughness = 2
  9. Walk the Plank – This obstacle is where you climb up a tall platform and jump into water.  Its about as high as a high dive, so if you have an aversion to heights, its not easy.  To me it was very easy.  Jump in, swim, and climb out.  Toughness = 1
  10. Boa Constrictor – Crawling through small inverted tunnels.  Going down was easy, more of a slide.  At the bottom is water which you get to go through before working your way back up the next tunnel.  Going up was a little more tough.  I am glad I have good lower body strength.  Toughness = 2
  11. Trench Warfare – These are underground tunnels you have to crawl through.  Not pleasant if you don’t like confined spaces, but it isn’t very hard.  The rocks you crawl on are not pleasant though.  Toughness = 2
  12. Funky Monkey – This is an incredibly hard obstacle for me, but there is a way out.  There are inverted monkey bars and you have to go up about 10 rungs and then back down to complete it.  If you don’t make it, then you go into the water below and have to swim.  I think this is the hardest because I don’t have very good upper body strength and finger strength, but it isn’t insurmountable since you can swim to the other side.  Toughness = 4 if you want to complete it.  Otherwise, Toughness = 2
  13. Cage Crawl – The easiest obstacle of the entire Tough Mudder for me.  You pretty much lay on your back in water, and use your fingers to grab the cage above you and pull yourself to the other side.  If you don’t like confined spaces, this could be a challenge.  To me, this was easy.  Toughness = 2
  14. Electric Eel – This isn’t easy by far.  You pretty much have to crawl from one side to the other under barbwire.  Except this time you have electric wires dangling down to give you a zap every now and again.  You really feel like you are getting punched when this happens.  I did a slip and slide maneuver where I got a running start and then slid about 1/4 of the way through the Electric Eel and then power crawled the rest of the way through it.  I really got nailed a couple times, but I made it.  This really is not a pleasant obstacle.  Toughness = 3
  15. Warrior Carry – This is the only obstacle I had to bail on because my ankle was toast and I didn’t have the upper body strength to do it.  Carry one of your fellow Tough Mudders about 30 yards.  Toughness = 3
  16. Kiss of Mud #2 – Same as the first one but this one was a little tougher because the barbed wire was a bit lower and you had to work your arms and legs to crawl through.  Toughness = 2
  17. Bale Bonds – Last year in Amherst, the Bale Bonds were easy.  You just crawl over the hay bales and that was it.  This year, you needed to get a running jump to get over these huge hay bales.  I made it, but was by far not a slam dunk.  Toughness = 2
  18. Berlin Walls – This is the toughest obstacle that Tough Mudder has.  These walls are 12 feet high and you have to get over them.  The good thing is you have fellow mudders helping each other out.  The bad news is that it still requires some upper body strength which I didn’t have by this point in the course.  I made it but it was tough to pull myself over both of them.  Toughness = 3
  19. Everest – Its a quarter pipe you get to scale.  The only way to get to the top is to find someone to help you at the top.  Get a running start and leap up and grab their hands.  They then will help you up.  Last year I fell my first time.  This year, I made it the first time.  Just based on the number of fails I saw, I am rating this one a little higher.  If you have lower body strength and speed, and someone to help you at the top (which there are always people up there assisting), then you are good.  Toughness = 3
  20. Electroshock therapy – This is the final obstacle and its more of those electric wires that you saw in the electric eel, except this time you have to run through them.  You are going to get shocked about 3-4 times, and I fell flat on my face again this year after getting hit in the face by one of those things.  Its over fast, but its unpleasant.  Toughness = 2

Overall, this was incredibly challenging this year.  Not for the obstacles or the length of the course, but because I ended up re-injuring my ankle at mile 8 which required me to walk most of the last 3 miles.  We made it, but I was in significant pain.  Running up Everest hurt the worst.  Even today, a couple days later, I know that I am not going to be running or skating for the next few weeks.  I am ok with that though, since I have my Tough Mudder headband.

I am already planning on doing (at least) one more next year.

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Soon it will be over….

by Christopher Brian Dudek on March 13, 2013

in Hockey and Life

After 13 years and over 52 rollerhockey seasons, I am 6 weeks away from finishing my last season at Rivertown Sports as a rollerhockey goalie.  With my team folding at the end of the season, I am not going to pursue running a new team.  With teaching, playing ice hockey, and reffing lacrosse and ice hockey, I just don’t have the time to dedicate to it anymore.  I highly doubt any team will come calling for a 40+ year old goalie, so its time.

So many great memories to talk about though.  From winning my first championship in August of 2002 all the way up to winning three championships in three different divisions.  There is so much I could talk about, but I want this to be less like a permanent retirement.  I suppose there is always a chance that I could be picked up by another team, but I am not holding out much hope.  I can no longer carry team like I used to.

Its sad actually.  I have set the bar so high that there is no way I can go over it anymore.  I knew when I reached my goal of 30 championships last year, I knew I was close to a permanent retirement from hockey.  With my recent success in ice hockey, I am going to try to get a couple more championships on ice before my permanent retirement from goaltending.

It really has been a great ride, and I am going to miss going to the rink and playing hockey with many great players.  Over the years, there have been so many people who I have had the privilege of playing with. 

John Granger, who got me the start in net that I was looking for. 

Dan Creveling, who added me to the Stickheads.  We won 5 championships, one of them my very first in net back in 2002.

Jeff Z., who added me to Malys with many great friends.  We achieved 3 championships.

Jeremy Crosby, Phil Stockman, and Andy Rosart, who helped me form Marketlab, a corporate sponsored team who won 4 championships.

The list goes on and on.

With over 6 weeks left in the season, I am really focused on making a positive impact in net.  Its been a great ride, and hopefully I will return someday.

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There is no defending the NHL or NHLPA

by Christopher Brian Dudek on December 7, 2012

in Hockey and Life, NHL

If you are standing behind the owners or the players in these negotiations, its time to walk away.  There is no shame in admitting that you were backing a side that was not good for the game or the fans.  By standing behind on one side, you are in essence defending their actions.  However…..

There is no defense for greed.
There is no defense for refusing to negotiate in good faith.
There is no defense for stall tactics.
There is no defense for pontificating to the media after you don’t get your way.
There is no defense for leaving when your side doesn’t get what they want.
There is no defense for not taking calls from the other side, and there is no defense for leaving a voicemail message turning down a deal.

Its time for us fans to rise up and not support this league or the players.  Will we come back to the game we love?  Probably.  However, there are things we can do to not support the league or the players.  A vast majority of the money the NHL makes is from ticket sales and merchandise.  Don’t buy any NHL merchandise.  Don’t spend money on tickets to see the games.  Don’t support any companies that sponsor the NHL.  Just regulate yourself to watching what you can on cable TV.  The cable subsidy that the league and players get from a cable TV sub is very low.

Do not reward this greed.

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Goodbye NHL

by Christopher Brian Dudek on December 6, 2012

in Hockey and Life, NHL

The NHL and NHLPA are embroiled in a hard nosed battle to get their piece of the $3.3 billion dollar pie.  While they have been fighting, the fans have really ran to the side of either the owners or players.  The social media and blogging universe has been alive with these people, cheering their respective sides, and denouncing the other side at the same time.  While I am aware that the players took a rather large concession last time around (and they had to since they were earning over 70% of the total revenues), they were going to have to take another one with the NBA and the NFL both negotiated to a 50/50 agreement.  Still, I watch what has unfolded and the talk coming out of these meetings and it dawns upon me that both sides are being totally unreasonable.

Maybe both the NHL and NHLPA were taking in what Gordon Gekko was saying about greed.

The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right, greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA. Thank you very much.

This CBA could have been ironed out in a week.  Instead we have two sides that are unwilling to bend or work together.  Meanwhile, all the fans are caught in the middle.

I have decided not to take a side since I think both sides are being unreasonable.  Instead, the side I am taking will be against the NHL.  For a period of 3-5 years after the new CBA is agreed upon, I will not spend a dime on NHL tickets or merchandise.  The only support the NHL will get out of me will be watching the Red Wings on my cable package and what I can watch on the NBC Sports Network.  I don’t know how much the NHL will get for my subscription, but I know it won’t be much.  Hell, at this stage they don’t deserve much.

If you are a loyal hockey fan, then now is your time to make your voice heard.  Being vocal is a good start, but speak with your wallets when the league returns.  It really is the only way to curtail this kind of greed in the long run.  The fans that return the moment the puck drops are not helping the league.  Both sides need to be taught that the fans are the ones that are the most important to the league.

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I thought I was declining

by Christopher Brian Dudek on October 20, 2012

in Championships, Hockey and Life

When I turned 40, I thought my hockey skills were on the decline.  I thought that my time to win an ice hockey championship was gone.  I also thought that I would be playing less, not more.  All these things have not come true.  In fact, this has been my best year to date when it comes to hockey.  I have achieved two ice hockey championships this season.  After achieving my 30th roller championship back in July, I just achieved my 31st today.

I played solid today, going 2-1 with the only loss in the top division finals game.  A game that I played very well in on top of that.  The championship finals game that we won was a tight 4-3 victory.  It wasn’t due to bad goaltending, but we did get a lucky bounce at the start of the game that went off the skate of the opposing goalie and went in.  It really was an opportunistic bounce that wasn’t the difference at the time, but it was a key goal in the end.  I did my part to seal the deal in the last few minutes with a couple key stops.

Now, I am looking forward to the two week break from roller hockey and can concentrate on my two ice hockey leagues, reffing on the weekend, my day job, and the class I am teaching.

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